Local architecture and construction consultancy YMD Boon has announced the completion of the expansion and remodelling works to Farndon Fields Primary School in Market Harborough, which have doubled the size of the school.
The £2m project, which had a 12-month construction period, has provided pupils and staff with seven additional classrooms, remodelled admin support facilities, an extension to the main school hall and a brand new playground and cark park.
The school, which previously accommodated 200 students aged between five and 11, will now welcome a further 210 students thanks to the 700 sq. m extension. Utilising its in-house expertise YMD Boon undertook full project management and design services on behalf of the school.
The new teaching block was delivered using modern methods of construction. The new classrooms were manufactured off-site resulting in a very sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to the delivery of the scheme.
David Yates, director at YMD Boon, said:
“Our design team wanted to create an engaging and inspiring environment for students to learn in, so it’s fantastic to see how the vision has been brought to life. Knowing that the expansion has helped respond to the community’s need for more primary school age places in the area is wonderful.
“We hope all students and staff enjoy their new facilities.”
Farndon Fields Primary School is a part of the Discovery Schools Trust.
Paul Stone, Trust leader, said:
“It has been a real pleasure working together with YMD Boon to create such an exciting and dynamic learning environment which has focused on the needs of the children and being sensitivity to staff needs during a live build project. The support and expertise we have received was first rate.”
Nikki Matthew, headteacher at Farndon Fields Primary School, said:
“YMD Boon worked closely with the school and were very responsive to our needs throughout the design and build project. We are delighted with the finished project and the learning environment we have created. Staff, children and families are proud of the buildings and the facilities we now have in place for our local community.”
Other consultants on the project included John Lester Partnership; HBa Consulting Engineers Ltd; Ideal Building Systems Ltd; MJE Contracts and Jackson Purdue Lever.
YMB Boon works on conservation, education, commercial, industrial and residential projects delivering services in architecture, building surveying, project management, employers’ agent, property management and maintenance, health and safety advisors and clerk of works.
Family-run Heming Engineering Ltd is right on track for future expansion by growing its sales portfolio of some of the country’s leading brands of tractors and farm machinery.
The company – based in Willersey, near Broadway, and part of the 51-year-old Heming Group – has now joined the M40/M5 corridor dealer networks of some of the agricultural sector’s biggest names.
Heming Engineering Ltd are now suppliers for leading brands such as Muthing Flail Mowers, Tafe Tractors, Fleming Equipment, Zetor Tractors, Woods Rotary Mowers and Grillo ride-on mowers. All key brands of specialist grass care, equestrian and orchard management products are also available.
The company operates across many sectors including agriculture, arable farming, construction, dairy farming, equestrian, grasscare, horticulture, livestock farming, mechanical engineering and sports and leisure.
Peter Heming, MD of Heming Group, said:
“This is an exciting time for us. Last year was memorable for marking the 50th anniversary of our company and we look forward to the next 50 years and what new ventures that brings.”
Heming Engineering Ltd – which notched up 50 years of trading last year – has built its reputation on providing tractor parts and machinery spares, the servicing and repair of all types of agricultural equipment, commercial and four-wheel drive vehicles and the maintenance of industrial and construction equipment.
Heming Group comprises Heming Services, Heming Plant Hire, Ford Electrical and Major Cooling and Heating – as well as Heming Engineering.
LLamasoft, the leading provider of AI-enabled enterprise supply chain design and decision-making solutions, has announced that the official opening of its new EMEA headquarters in Birmingham took place on Tuesday 26th November.
Guest of Honour, Lord Digby Jones, a non-aligned Peer in the UK House of Lords, international businessman, media commentator, TV presenter, author and public speaker addressed the attendees.
A Birmingham-born former Minister of State for UK Trade & Investment, former Corporate Ambassador to Jaguar Cars and current non-executive Chairman of Triumph Motorcycles, Lord Jones is a renowned business advocate who speaks around the world on all aspects of global trade including the wider political and societal scene.
“With the current political and economic challenges facing organisations in the UK and Europe, it is refreshing to see technology companies like LLamasoft not only investing in the region but providing innovative solutions that will help UK and European companies across multiple industries make smarter decisions in a climate of unprecedented business complexity, volatility and uncertainty,” said Lord Jones.
Located at Pegasus House on Solihull Business Park, Birmingham, LLamasoft’s new 11,000 sq ft headquarters provides purpose-designed facilities for both employees and customers and reflects the company’s continued focus on growth, customer centricity and innovation.
This investment allows LLamasoft to better service its customers in the EMEA region in leveraging advanced analytics, optimisation and machine learning to make better, faster business decisions.
In the context of continued political uncertainty, including Brexit, LLamasoft’s powerful technology platform is helping major enterprises worldwide to model alternative scenarios to exploit opportunities and mitigate risks associated with trade wars and changes in taxes and tariffs, as highlighted in a recent BBC interview with LLamasoft’s CEO, Razat Gaurav.
This capability is augmented by LLamasoft’s recently announced acquisition of Opex Analytics, a Chicago-based provider of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, further accelerating LLamasoft’s strategy to transform the future of enterprise decision making.
LLamasoft, which recently reported 30 percent subscription revenue growth for the first half of 2019, has made a significant investment in the design and fit-out of the new offices, which include a state-of-the-art customer experience centre as well as a dedicated training facility, with ability to deliver remote training to staff, customers and partners around the world.
“As more organisations seek to leverage data and advanced algorithms to make better business decisions, LLamasoft is seeing continued strong momentum in all regions and is on track to grow its global employee count by more than 20 percent in 2020,” said Slimane Allab, EMEA General Manager and SVP of LLamasoft.
“Designed specifically to support our goals and those of our customers in the EMEA region, the new location provides the perfect environment in which to bring together our people, technology and customers to drive continued innovation and success. We are delighted that Lord Jones was able to join us to mark this momentous occasion.”
Family-run global packaging and printing firm The Wilkins Group has been crowned Family Business of the Year at the 10th Midlands Family Business Awards.
The Wilkins Group specialises in the printing of folding cartons and packaging for a range of industries and brands worldwide, and employs over 500 people operating from five global sites in Nottingham, Romania, China, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Highly commended by the judges for the 2019 headline Family Business of the Year category is Charles Bentley & Son – a leading manufacturer and importer of brushware and household cleaning products based in Loughborough, and Johnson’s Coach and Bus Travel based in Henley-in-Arden.
Showcasing the most impressive, talented and innovative family-owned businesses, the 12 winners and 22 highly commended companies of the 10th Midlands Family Business Awards were selected from 51 finalists and announced at a black-tie award ceremony last night (7 November), held at the King Power Stadium in Leicester.
Winners of the four new accolades for the 10th Midlands Family Business Awards were Matthew Lymn Rose, managing director of Nottingham-based family funeral service company A W Lymn, who took the winning spot for Next Generation family Business Leader; Nottingham-based O’Keeffe Building Services for the Construction & Property Excellence category; Ilkeston-based Lobina Transport for the Anniversary award; and the winner of extra special new category – Rising Stars – was Derbyshire-based Bright Side Vets.
Other successful winners in the Midlands Family Business Awards included global fresh produce grower and trader Shropshire-based Jupiter Group for the Corporate Social Responsibility category; Nottingham-based online pharmacy UK Meds for the Fastest Growing Family Business category; Loughborough-based household goods wholesaler Charles Bentley & Son for the Manufacturing Excellence category; and Peterborough and Huntingdon-based Andrews Building Supplies for Service Excellence category.
Staffordshire-based The Wool Packaging Company was awarded Best Small Family Business and Loughborough-based CR Civil Engineering was crowned Employer of the Year, as well as winning the publicly voted for People’s Choice category.
Organised and backed by The Wilson Organisation – a Midlands-based, third-generation family business – the annual Midlands Family Business Awards celebrate and recognise the success, achievements and innovations of family-run businesses, and raise funds for local charities.
Attended by over 350 guests – including awards finalists, independent judges and sponsors – the awards were bigger than ever as attendees celebrated not just the achievements of the family businesses but also the milestone of the awards; reaching its tenth year of championing family businesses.
To reach the winning and highly commended spots, finalists met with an independent judging panel – led by a family business leader, industry expert and category sponsor – and all finalists were entered into the People’s Choice Award – the only award voted for externally by the public.
Group managing director of The Wilson Organisation, Charlotte Perkins, said:
“Being the only independent and not for profit awards of its kind, the Midlands Family Business Awards has a sole focus on celebrating and showcasing the hugely positive impact our regions’ family businesses have on our economy by supporting those companies and building communities of like-minded professionals.
“A huge well done to all those who have been successful tonight – both winners and highly commended – the achievements of your businesses are very impressive and the awards will hopefully be a lasting reminder of that.
“As a not for profit event, it wouldn’t be possible to do what we do without the generous support of our sponsors, many of whom have been involved in the awards for a number of years. We are grateful that so many brilliant firms support us and get involved.”
Over the last 10 years, the Midlands Family Business Awards has raised over £35k for regional charities, and to mark the 10th year the awards will be raising money via a raffle for the award’s chosen charities: Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance and The Midlands Air Ambulance.
Main sponsors of the 2019 awards were OrderWise (headline sponsor), Buckles Solicitors, PwC, Shakespeare Martineau, Streets Chartered Accountants and Ward Recycling.
The full list of winners and highly commended businesses of the 10th Midlands Family Business Awards are:
Family Business of the Year (sponsored by OrderWise)
Winner: The Wilkins Group
HC: Charles Bentley & Son
HC: Johnsons Coach and Bus Travel
Best Small Family Business
Winner: The Wool Packaging Company
HC: Hunts Coach Hire
HC: Petwood Hotel
Construction & Property Excellence
Winner: O’Keeffe Building Services
HC: Andrews Building Supplies
HC: S Brown Paving
Corporate Social Responsibility (sponsored by Ward Recycling)
Winner: Jupiter group
HC: Bright Side Vets
HC: Oakland International
Employer of the Year (sponsored by Buckles Solicitors)
Winner: CR Civil Engineering
HC: Total Reclaims Demolition
HC: Trans-Sport.tv
Fastest Growing Family Business (sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers)
Winner: UK Meds
HC: Juice Sauz
HC: Vanilla Underground
Next Generation Family Business Leader (sponsored by Shakespeare Martineau LLP)
Winner: A W Lymn – Matthew Lymn Rose
HC: Global Solutions for Clothing – Harrison Palmer
HC: Streets Heaver – Benedict Heaver
Manufacturing Excellence (sponsored by The Wilson Organisation)
Winner: Charles Bentley & Son
HC: Grayson Thermal Systems
HC: Jointine Products
Rising Stars
Winner: Bright Side Vets
HC: Recruit 2 You
HC: SMART Balustrades
Service Excellence
Winner: Andrews Building Supplies
Special HC: Absolute Works
HC: Johnsons Coach and Bus Travel
People’s Choice (sponsored by Streets Chartered Accountants)
Legal firm Fraser Brown is celebrating the one-year anniversary of its Lincoln office following an outstanding 12 months in the region.
The Lincoln base marks the first location for the firm outside of Nottinghamshire, and since opening its doors at Kingsley Office Park last summer, it has seen growth beyond expectations with the expansion of its team and client portfolio.
Doubling in size in the last twelve months, the Lincoln team expansion has seen the appointment of senior figures including director and solicitor of corporate law, Ed Capes, who is celebrating a very successful first-year anniversary with the company this month, and head of commercial property – Anthony Ogley, who moved from the Nottingham HQ to the Lincoln base as second full time director back in July, to further fortify the Lincoln team and strengthen the firm’s commercial property offering in the region.
Other significant hires include legal assistant Will Murray who joined the residential team back in May to assist with the department’s growing portfolio, and Rachel Pringle who joined the team as business development executive in September to support the continued new business growth of the firm’s Lincoln base and further develop relationships in the region.
Growth is expected to continue into 2020 within the Lincoln team where further recruitment is planned to support this and complement the overall growth of the firm.
Since joining the firm in October 2018, Ed has been involved in a number of high-profile deals, including successful major transactions working with leading independent infrastructure and private equity investment firm – Foresight Group, providing legal advice in relation to Lincolnshire-based companies – volcanic chocolate company FIRETREE CHOCOLATE LTD, commercial printing company Your Print Partner and halal baby food company For Aisha.
Another significant deal recently completed involved providing legal advice for Blackfinch Ventures for its investment in Lincoln-based tech start-up – Tended. Tended creates safety solutions and intelligent wearables that can detect accidents and notify emergency contacts with GPS location, it was recently named one of the UK’s most innovative exciting tech start-ups by Tech Nation.
Ed said:
“My decision to join Fraser Brown and be at the forefront of the firm’s expansion into Lincolnshire represented a major milestone in my career.
“Lincoln is a honeypot for investment and economic growth, and opportunities presented in the area are plentiful. The team have worked to establish and develop relationships with local businesses and the professional community in order to embed themselves in Lincoln, which we are extremely proud to be a part of.
“We are delighted with the progress we’ve made to date which would not have been possible without the support of our clients, our network of contacts and our hard-working team and we look forward to nurturing and developing those relationships over the next 12 months and in the years to come.
“Our new appointments are a statement of intent for future expansion, and Rachel’s role as business development executive will really help us to fulfil this vision for growth.”
Patrick Wood, managing director at Fraser Brown said:
“Opening a Lincoln office has long been on our agenda and we were keen to venture out of Nottinghamshire and establish ourselves in Lincolnshire’s professional community.
“The Lincoln office has had an outstanding first year. Our cultural values have helped shape and cement the firm in the Nottingham legal market for many years and have been reflected in the offering from our Lincoln office.
Fraser Brown has been established for more than 200 years and operates from four offices across the East Midlands in Nottingham, Bingham, Radcliffe-on-Trent and Lincoln offering services in commercial and private law.
JMP Solicitors is expanding its commercial team at its Grantham office with the appointment of a new solicitor, Robert Cox.
Having graduated from Keele University with a degree in Law and American Studies, Robert brings over 30 years’ legal experience to the team having worked in Melton Mowbray for 17 years at Oldham Marsh Page Flavell, and in Grantham for 16 years, at Close Kendall, Trumans, and Nelsons Solicitors.
Robert will bring a breadth of expertise to the role, in which he will be advising clients on all aspects of business and commercial law, with a particular interest in business start-up and litigation. He will look to bring a modern approach to legal problem solving, providing advice for all types of businesses, from well-established companies through to new start-ups.
On his new appointment, Robert said:
“JMP Solicitors is a modern, friendly firm providing legal services to businesses and personal clients and I’m very much excited to be part of such a forward-thinking and approachable team. It’s important to ensure that clients receive a friendly and helpful service, to guide them through legal obstacles, with minimal risks to keep costs down.
“I grew up in Grantham and to now be based here in the area where I live for work, so close to family and friends is very exciting- I look forward to putting my skills and expertise to good practice for a new challenge.”
Ian Howard, managing director at JMP Solicitors, said:
“We’d like to give a warm welcome to Robert on joining the JMP team. With his extensive experience and enthusiasm, he is an ideal asset to join our commercial division to lead and support its ever-growing portfolio.
“With Robert’s background working in the counties of Lincolnshire and Leicestershire, he has a whole collection of contacts within the business community which will help with new business development and building key relationships in the commercial sector.”
East Midlands-based AM2 Architects has revealed plans for extensive new facilities at Wolds Wildlife Park in Horncastle, Lincolnshire – featuring jungle-like canopies, glass walkways, elevated viewing galleries and even a ‘Yoga with the Bears’ enclosure.
The expansion project, which received planning permission in August, sees AM2 Architects work in conjunction with Louth-based For-Ward Planning Consultancy and East Lindsey District Council to develop the masterplan for the wildlife park; which includes improvements to the existing space and plans to accommodate a larger variety and number of animals.
Wolds Wildlife Park has an interesting back-story when back in 2013, animal lovers Andrew Riddel and Tracy Walters started rehoming animals from the circus as well as rehoming animals from zoos at their home in Horncastle. The pair really began from a standing start; creating the enclosures by hand and catering for the animals’ various needs. With passion and determination, the wildlife park was born.
Following growing interest from local residents, Tracy and Andrew started spending their weekends showing passers-by around the park – reassuring guests that public safety and animal welfare were of the utmost importance to them.
The new expansion project will bring to life Tracy and Andrew’s dream to take the park to the next phase – creating a complete zoological park with species-specific enclosures, and interactive spaces for visitors to enjoy.
AM2 Architects has drawn on inspiration from leading wildlife parks around the world to develop the concept design; which includes a giraffe enclosure with an elevated viewing gallery – giving visitors the chance to see eye to eye with the world’s tallest mammals – and leopard and lion enclosures separated by glass walkways to allow big cat lovers to walk straight into the lion’s den.
For a chance to connect with nature on a deeper level, visitors will be able to strike the balancing bear pose and take part in a ‘Yoga with the Bears’ class. This truly wild experience will offer yoga practice just a few steps away from the enclosure of the bears, who are known to love interaction with the public. It is also a unique form of positive enrichment for the animals.
Jonathan Metcalfe, director at AM2 Architects, said:
“We’re very proud to be working on such an exciting and unusual development.
“Our highest priority when designing the spaces was the needs and welfare of the park’s residents and marrying that with best practice from wildlife parks around the world. By listening to Tracy and Andrew’s incredible vision, we believe we have created something very special.
“Everything is coming together with the first phase now complete and the construction of phases two and three due to commence later this year. We are looking forward to the journey of bringing Andrew and Tracy’s vision to life – creating a place of wonder and learning for generations to come”.
The final phase three of the development, which aims to be complete by 2022, includes a brand-new main building for the park, complete with a gift shop and restaurant featuring impressive canopy-like structures as its roof, to mimic the appearance of jungle trees and provide shaded areas beneath for guests, as well as offering views over the landscaped park, its animals and the lakes.
A new education centre will accommodate school visits, provide areas for learning activities and workshops for children as well as offer function rooms for events and even weddings. The centre’s design is based on the instantly recognisable ‘big top’ circus tent, as a reminder that many of the animals in the zoo are rehomed from circuses.
Further plans as part of the development include four separate units for use by local businesses, all with independent access allowing flexible operation times.
Tracy Walters and Andrew Riddel, owners of Wolds Wildlife Park, said:
“Since the beginning of the project, we have been overwhelmed with local community support, which has really given us the drive to work around the clock to put Horncastle back on the map.
“It is our aim to work with local businesses, schools and colleges to support the area, and create new job opportunities, educational facilities for learning, and a place for those with long-term illnesses to visit and enjoy.
“We feel we have the best team on-board to make our dream a reality, and it is a pleasure to work alongside AM2 Architects – they have amazing ideas for the park and we could not do this without them.”
Portfolio Holder for Market Towns and Rural Economy, Councillor Adam Grist, said:
“This is an exciting project and an excellent opportunity for growth in the local economy. East Lindsey District Council is pleased to continue its work with Mr Riddel and Ms Walters towards obtaining a zoo licence in the future.”
Wolds Wildlife Park currently holds six open days per year to welcome visitors.
AM2 Architects works on residential and commercial projects throughout the East Midlands and nationwide, including contemporary and historic, listed building, conservation projects, feasibility studies, new builds and refurbishments of all scales and sectors.
In-Comm Training has been named as one of the training providers for a new skills fund launched by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).
The Aldridge-based firm, which operates three technical academies in the Black Country and Shropshire, will be galvanising SMEs and larger firms to make the most of unspent Levy money currently available in the region.
The aim is to encourage employers to take on more young people in advanced manufacturing, digital skills and STEM-related apprenticeships as the area looks to cement its position as a global leader in engineering.
In-Comm Training’s employer-led approach to skills was one of the main reasons it has been chosen, with its team of expert advisers and trainers now responsible for supporting potential users of the fund to meet the criteria and recruit the right young people.
Bekki Phillips, Managing Director at In-Comm Training, commented:
“Any new programme that encourages greater adoption of vocational learning is welcomed, especially one that specifically targets STEM courses.
“We have to raise the region’s productivity and using unspent Levy money to offer apprenticeships to 16-18 year-olds is a great, long-term way of ensuring we are growing our workforces of the future.”
She continued:
“More than 146 standards are available, covering science, technology, engineering, manufacturing, construction and digital – all the skills we are going to need if we are going to exploit the UK’s strengths.
“The new fund will essentially remove the 5% fee that SMEs normally have to pay to take on an apprentice, making it easier to invest in young people.”
The West Midlands Combined Authority covers a population of 4.2 million across Greater Birmingham and Solihull, the Black Country, Coventry and Warwickshire and the Marches LEPs.
In-Comm Training’s proven track record in delivering apprenticeships, combined with a £7m investment in its three academies in Aldridge, Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury, has given it the perfect platform to be a crucial partner to the Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Fund.
For further information, please visit www.in-comm.co.uk or follow @incomm_training on twitter.
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